Careblazer, I believe all caregivers are great. No matter what condition you’re caring for, there’s something truly special about caregivers.
But caring for someone with dementia is different. On average, a dementia caregiver gives 92 hours of care a month.
A Careblazer is a dementia care hero, someone caring for a person with dementia. And there are real differences between dementia caregiving and other types of caregiving. I want to walk through the biggest ones, because they show how important and how challenging the work you’re doing really is.
1. Dementia Caregivers Spend More Hours Caregiving
Let’s start with time. Dementia caregivers spend much more time caregiving than non-dementia caregivers: 92 hours a month on average, compared with 65 hours.
And a side statistic: 85 percent of caregivers for people with dementia are unpaid family members.
2. The Emotional Stress of Dementia Caregiving
59 percent of dementia caregivers report high or very high emotional stress, compared with 41 percent of non-dementia caregivers.
Overall, dementia caregivers are at higher risk for depression. Studies show that up to 40 percent of dementia caregivers have depressive symptoms.
3. How Dementia Caregiving Affects Your Physical Health
35 percent of dementia caregivers report that their health has gotten worse because of caregiving, versus 19 percent of non-dementia caregivers.
And 38 percent of dementia caregivers rate the physical stress of caregiving as high or very high.
4. Dementia Caregiving and Work
This one is hard to hear too. 57 percent of working dementia caregivers have had to go in late or leave early to care for their loved one, versus 47 percent of other caregivers.
5. How Long Dementia Caregiving Lasts
Dementia caregiving lasts longer. Non-dementia caregiving usually lasts about four years. Dementia caregiving lasts an average of 4.9 years.
6. The Needs Keep Growing Over Time
If I had to add one more difference, it would be the long-term trajectory. A person with dementia’s needs are going to increase over time.
That means the caregiving demands become greater and greater and greater.
7. When Your Loved One Doesn’t Believe They Have Dementia
Off the top of my head, I would also add the significant behavioral changes that come along with dementia.
And many people with dementia don’t recognize they have dementia, or may not believe they have it. That makes it so much more difficult to care for someone, because they don’t think they need care. Other types of caregiving don’t necessarily have that challenge.
If this is what you’re facing, I share what works instead of convincing in how to convince someone with dementia they need help.
Dementia Caregiving Comes With Its Own Challenges
It is very clear. Dementia caregiving comes with its own set of challenges.
All caregivers are amazing, but dementia Careblazers have a special place in my heart. Thank you for what you’re doing. Thank you for all your hard work.
If you want to understand why it feels so much harder than it should, I go into that in why dementia caregiving is so hard.
Inside the Care Collective, Careblazers get together every single week to offer support, offer guidance, shed tears and get feedback from people who are living this too. You can learn more here.
